Ancient Greece

There were very few rich people and a great number of poor. In early times, the rich landowners and leaders called tyrants controlled the poor. In Athens and some other city-states the tyrants were driven out by the people, who acquired power and freedom. This new form of government was called democracy.

Delphi was thought to be the center of the world, at the very point where 2 birds flying from opposite ends of the earth met. The Greeks placed a huge stone there, the navel of the world.

The Greeks believed in the value of sport as training for warfare, and as a way of honoring the gods. Discipline in sport was strict, and breaking the rules was punished severely.

The eye was an important symbol in ancient Greece. It gave life and power to objects. Statues had their eyes painted in; eyes on the front of warships magically guided them.